Pennsylvania Voters Found Utility Bills and Groceries About Equally Hard to Pay, a Franklin & Marshall Poll Says
As the days get shorter and colder, monthly bills can start to weigh on a household.
A recent poll asked Pennsylvania voters how hard those bills are to pay, and the answers may sound familiar.
Here’s what the poll found, and where to turn if your own bills are a struggle.
Note: This is general information, not financial advice. Utility prices and assistance programs are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Who Ran the Poll
Utility bills were one of several money questions in the Franklin & Marshall College Poll, which comes from the Center for Opinion Research at the college.
Its August poll surveyed 501 registered Pennsylvania voters from August 17 to 23, 2026.
The college published the results on August 27.
Voters answered by phone or online, depending on their preference.
The college weighted the results by age, gender, education, geography, vote history and party registration.
The margin of error is plus or minus 5.5 percentage points, so read each number below as a close estimate.
The poll’s findings on utility bills and groceries come first, followed by electric price changes and what you can do about your bills.
Utility Bills
That 57% counts registered voters who said paying their utility bills is very difficult or somewhat difficult.
Even by that margin, the share could be as low as 51.5%, which is still above half.
If a utility bill strains your budget, you’re with more than half of the voters the poll reached.
Groceries and Household Finances
Groceries came in just behind utility bills, with 55% of registered voters calling them very difficult or somewhat difficult to pay for.
The two-point gap is smaller than the poll’s margin of error, so the poll can’t tell you which is harder to pay.
Call it a tie.
The poll also asked about voters’ finances compared with a year ago, and 44% said they’re worse off.
Across six listed expenses, nearly four in five voters had at least some difficulty paying for one or more.
Those expenses were utilities, food and groceries, gas and transportation, health care, rent or mortgage, and entertainment and recreation.
When the poll asked voters to name the most important problem facing the state, 31% said the economy.
Psst! How much do you know about paying for power? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Power Bill Know-How
Answer these questions on utility shutoff protections, deposits, price changes and energy help. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
A doctor’s letter can pause a Pennsylvania utility shutoff when ending service would harm someone who is ill. The first certification can last up to how long?
Electric Price Changes
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) calls the electricity rate for customers who haven't picked a competitive supplier the price to compare.
It's a charge for each kilowatt-hour, the unit your bill uses to measure electricity.
Many utilities reset that rate on June 1 and again on December 1.
On June 1, 2026, the price to compare rose at all 11 utilities on the PUC's list.
Penelec's went up 11.88% and West Penn Power's 10.3%, while PECO's increased 6.67%, Duquesne Light's 2.84% and PPL's 1.5%.
On December 1, 2025, the rate had already risen at nine of those 11 utilities.
For those nine, that's twice in six months.
Here's what 1,000 kilowatt-hours costs at a few of those rates.
What 1,000 Kilowatt-Hours Costs on the Price to Compare
Say your utility bill charges you for 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity in a month and you haven't chosen a supplier, so the price to compare applies to all of it.
At PPL's June 1 rate of 13.147 cents for each kilowatt-hour, the electricity costs $131.47.
Penelec's rate rose from 11.747 cents to 13.142 cents, which adds $13.95 to the same month.
West Penn Power's rate rose from 10.947 cents to 12.075 cents, which adds $11.28.
Those figures cover the electricity supply only, so your full bill runs higher.
Help With Winter Bills
Pennsylvania's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is scheduled to open its 2026-27 season on November 2, the state Department of Human Services says.
LIHEAP pays a one-time grant of $200 to $1,000, depending on household size, income and fuel type.
The application page lists income limits by household size, so check it before you apply.
If you're behind but not ready to apply, call your utility early, the PUC says.
Ask about payment arrangements, budget billing, hardship funds and Customer Assistance Programs.
Pennsylvania's utilities collectively dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars each year to universal service programs.
If your utility can't solve the problem, call the PUC's Bureau of Consumer Services at 1-800-692-7380.
Shopping for a Supplier
The PUC's November 24, 2025 release says that in most areas of Pennsylvania, you can choose who supplies your electricity.
The electricity supply charge typically makes up 40% to 60% of a customer's total utility bill.
Compare offers at PAPowerSwitch.com.
As of June 2026, current wholesale market trends mean fewer supplier offers are priced below the utility's rate.
Before you sign with a supplier, check whether the rate is fixed or variable and look for early termination fees and monthly charges.
The commission also advises reading the pricing, renewal conditions and expiration date before you enroll.
12 Disappearing Things Pennsylvanians Won't Be Able to Enjoy Much Longer
Things change, and not always for the better.
Some everyday conveniences Pennsylvanians have taken for granted, like cheap fast food, are slowly slipping away.
12 Disappearing Things Pennsylvanians Won't Be Able to Enjoy Much Longer
9 Pittsburgh Habits That Confuse the Rest of Pennsylvania
Ask a Philadelphian to repeat something a Pittsburgher just said, and watch the confusion set in.
Some of the words and grammar Pittsburghers use can leave people from the rest of Pennsylvania guessing.
